Saudi Arabia declared that since the Obama administration and Western allies are taking such a “dangerous gamble” with its Iran and Syria policies, they are ready to act along to safeguard the region.
The Saudi ambassador to Britain, Prince Mohammed bin Nawaf bin Abdulaziz al Saud, wrote in the New York Times that the normally tight relationships have been tested primarily due to Iran and Syria.
“We believe that many of the West’s policies on both Iran and Syria risk the stability and security of the Middle East. This is a dangerous gamble, about which we cannot remain silent, and will not stand idly by,” the ambassador wrote.
“While international efforts have been taken to remove the weapons of mass destruction used by the murderous regime of Bashar al-Assad, surely the West must see that the regime itself remains the greatest weapon of mass destruction of all? Chemical weapons are but a small cog in Mr. Assad’s killing machine. While he may appear to be going along with every international initiative to end the conflict, his regime will continue to do everything in its power to frustrate any serious solution,” he continued.
“The Assad regime is bolstered by the presence of Iranian forces in Syria. These soldiers did not enter Syria to protect it from a hostile external occupation; they are there to support an evil regime that is hurting and harming the Syrian people. It is a familiar pattern for Iran, which has financed and trained militias in Iraq, Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon and militants in Yemen and Bahrain.”
Instead of confronting the conflagration head-on, the prince said, “some of our Western partners have refused to take much-needed action against them. The West has allowed one regime to survive and the other to continue its program for uranium enrichment, with all the consequent dangers of weaponization.”
“This year’s talks with Iran may dilute the West’s determination to deal with both governments. What price is ‘peace’ though, when it is made with such regimes?”
He stressed that “the foreign policy choices being made in some Western capitals risk the stability of the region and, potentially, the security of the whole Arab world.”
“This means the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has no choice but to become more assertive in international affairs: more determined than ever to stand up for the genuine stability our region so desperately needs…. We showed our preparedness to act independently with our decision to reject a seat on the United Nations Security Council. What point was there in serving in an international talking shop when so many lives are threatened, and so many opportunities for peace and security are being thwarted by the U.N.’s inability to act?”
He also took a swipe at Obama’s tough-talking on Syria.
“This year, for all their talk of ‘red lines,’ when it counted, our partners have seemed all too ready to concede our safety and risk our region’s stability.”
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